Safety Council of the Ozarks Works to Make Communities Safer

Ilga Vise talks with Debora Biggs, executive director of the Safety Council of the Ozarks, about the local chapter's relationship with the National Safety Council, that organization's history and the establishment of the local chapter in 1976.

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Safety Council of the Ozarks works to save lives and prevent injury through education, training and services, according to Biggs.

The organization offers occupational safety training, traffic referral services (for those who have been ordered by a court to attend a traffic safety program), seat belt and car seat education, prescription drug abuse programs and driver's education programs. The SCO offers its many services to 76 counties across Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

In 2007, Springfield was designated by the National Safety Council as only the third city in the nation to earn the Safe Communities America status. Today, 20 to 30 communities have earned this elite recognition. Springfield was re-designated in 2013, and Greene County earned the status as well.

The Safety Council of the Ozarks collaborates with businesses, hospitals, the Department of Labor and many other entities.